Happiness

All posts in the Happiness category

Gratitude, Be Thankful For Your Day

Published 26/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

My dear friends,

I posted this video a year or so ago but when I woke up this morning I realised how thankful I am to be me and I have so much in my life to be grateful for. This past weekend has been simply wonderful and I have seen so many happy loving faces, experienced the beauty of nature and had the opportunity to eat lovely food and spend time with beautiful people so I felt it was about time I shared this video with you again in celebration of my re-awakening this morning.

Just a few things i’m continually grateful for.

My lovely wife, her smile, her boundless energy and deep support and love for me
My four wonderful children, their differences and their love for who they are, their friends and their lives
My two wonderful puppies, their endless energy and unconditional love for us
My Life, my health and the gifts I was born with
My work and what that has enabled me to do during my lifetime
My education and how it has helped me throughout my life and how learning keeps me young at heart and of mind
The beautiful sunny day
The birds singing in the gardens below my window
My colleagues for all they do for me, for each other and for our clients
My blog, my blogging friends all around the world, your continued support and friendship amazes me daily
The fresh food I made up for my lunch and the freshly ground coffee
My spiritual awareness and practice and the gifts that allow me to help others who need my support
My weekend and the chance to travel to another province in China
For the smiles I see and the joy that brings to my heart
The thought of peace
My meditations and mindfulness practice
My love for my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my colleagues, humanity and mother earth

I do hope you will take the time to stop for a while and to watch this wonderful video and I hope it will bring as much joy and happiness to you as i has done for me

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Work is Love Made Visible!

Published 23/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

the-ploughman-wilmington-polegate-near-eastbourne-joseph-harold-swanwick

Then a ploughman said, “Speak to us of Work.”

And he answered, saying:
You work that you may keep pace with
the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons,
and to step out of life’s procession,
that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.
于是一个农夫说：请给我们谈谈工作。
他回答说：
你工作为了要与大地和大地的精神一同前进。
因为惰逸使你成为四季的陌生人，
一个生命的落伍者，
生命的行进是庄严的、自豪的臣服，向着无限迈进。

When you work you are a flute through whose heart
the whispering of the hours turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent,
when all else sings together in unison?
在你工作的时候，你是一管笛，
从你心中吹出时光的微语，变成音乐。
你们谁肯做一根芦管，在万物合唱的时候，
你独痴呆无声呢？

Always you have been told that work is a curse and labour a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfil a part of earth’s furthest dream,assigned to you when that dream was born,
And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life,
And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.
你们常听人说，工作是祸殃，劳力是不幸。
我却对你们说，你们工作的时候，你们完成了大地的深远的梦之一部，
他指示你那梦是何时开头，
而在你劳力不息的时候，你确在爱了生命。
从工作里爱了生命，就是通彻了生命最深的秘密。

But if you in your pain call birth an affliction
and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow,
then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.
倘然在你的辛苦里，将有身之苦恼和养身之诅咒，
写上你的眉间，则我将回答你，
只有你眉间的汗，能将它们清洗。

You have been told also that life is darkness,
and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is LOVE;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself,
and to one another, and to God.
你们也听见人说，生命是黑暗的，
在你疲瘁之中，你附和了那疲瘁的人所说的话。
我说生命的确是黑暗的，除非是有了激励；
一切的激励都是盲目的，除非是有了知识；
一切的知识都是徒然的，除非是有了工作；
一切的工作都是虚空的，除非是有了爱；
当你怀着爱工作的时候，你便与自己、与他人、与上天合而为一。

And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart,
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
怎样才是怀着爱工作呢？
从你的心中抽丝，织成布帛，仿佛你爱的人要来穿此衣裳。
It is to build a house with affection,
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
是用慈爱建造一幢房子，
仿佛你爱的人就要居住其中；

It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy,
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
是用柔情播种，带着欢乐收获，
仿佛你爱的人就要品尝这果实；

It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,
And to know that all the blessed dead
are standing about you and watching.
是用你自己灵魂的气息，来充满你所创造的一切。
要知道一切受福的古人，正站在你身旁注视着。

Often have I heard you say, as if speaking in sleep,
“He who works in marble, and finds the shape of his own soul in the stone, is nobler than he who ploughs the soil.
And he who seizes the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the likeness of man, is more than he who makes the sandals for our feet.”
我常听见你们仿佛在梦中说：
“那在大理石上工作并找到他自己灵魂轮廓的人，
比耕地的人高贵多了。
那捉住彩虹，传神地画在布帛上的人，
比织履的人强多了。”

But I say, not in sleep but in the over wakefulness of noontide, that the wind speaks not more sweetly to the giant oaks than to the least of all the blades of grass;
And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his own loving.
我却要说：不在梦中，而在正午极情醒的时候，
风对大橡树说话的小的草叶所说的更甜柔；
只有那用他的爱心，把风声变成甜柔的歌曲的人，
是伟大的。

Work is love made visible.
And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste,
it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
工作就是爱的显现。
假如你不能怀着爱工作，而只觉厌烦，
那你不如放弃工作，坐在庙堂门边，
接受那些快乐工作的人们的施舍吧。

For if you bake bread with indifference,
you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half man’s hunger.
And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.
And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

因为，
假如你心不在焉地烤面包，你烘出的苦面包就只能让人半饱。
假如你勉为其难地榨葡萄，你的忿懑就在葡萄酒中滴入了毒液。
假如你宛若天使般地唱歌，却并不热爱歌唱，你便堵住了人们聆听昼夜之声的双耳。

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

I See

Published 22/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

I See

I see your indifference
But I want to warm the cold heart
I see,
In fact, I am yet to accept your indifference

I see your pain
But I want to end the pain
I see,
In fact, I did not accompany your pain

I see your selfishness
But I judge your selfishness
I see,
In fact, it was driven by my selfishness

I see your anger
But try to get rid of your anger
I see,
In fact, I did not let you feel angry

I see your anxiety
But I feel worry about your anxiety
I see,
In fact, I start being anxious
I see your weakness
But I do not know which hand shall I use to give you a hug
I see,
In fact, I am feeling weak now as well

I see your beauty
And I appreciate your beauty
I see,
I am getting beautiful now as well

I see your kindness
And I am delighted with your kindness
I see,
Originally I have such kindness as well

I see you are true
And believing in your truth
I see,
Originally I am also being true

I see you are firm
And see the gentle accompanying
I see,
I am firm and gentle now

I see you are strong
And feeling the flexibility of the strength
I see,
I start having such power now
I see your humbleness
And feeling the self-confidence inside
I see,
I start am being humble as well

I see your peacefulness
And feeling the peaceful mercy
I see,
I am walking towards mercies now

I see your open-heart
And hugging your open-heart
I see,
In fact, I am opening my heart as well
I see you giving
Without any condition
I see,
In fact, I am learning how to share myself

I see your purity
Simply just,
Do what you want to do
Love who you want to love
Walk on the road you want to
Cry when you feel pain
Laugh when you feel happy
Rest when you feel tired
Go on when you are fine
I see myself too

If only see it, that’s only seeing
And accepting what we see
But not immediately thinking what shall be changed
Through seeing
I see myself
And I also see
The original purity and completeness of life

seeing the light

我看见你的冷漠
却想去温暖这个冷漠
我看到
其实我还没接纳你的冷漠
我看见你的痛苦
却想去结束这个痛苦
我看到
其实我并没有陪伴你的痛苦

我看见你的自私
却去评判你的自私
我看到
其实真正涌动的是我的自私
我看见你的愤怒
却想躲开你的愤怒
我看到
其实我没有允许你可以愤怒

我看见你的焦虑
却去担心你的焦虑
我看到
其实我已开始陷入焦虑
我看见你的无力
却不知道要伸哪只手来抱你
我看到
其实当下我也无力
我看见你的美丽
并欣赏着你的美丽
我看到
当下我也开始美丽
我看见你的善良
并喜悦着你的善良
我看到
原本我亦善良
我看见你的真实
并相信着你的真实
我看到
原本我也如此真实
我看见你的坚定
并看到相守的温柔
我看到
我正坚定并且温柔
我看见你的坚强
并感受着柔韧的力量
我看到
我正承接到这样的力量
我看见你的谦卑
并感受到内在的自信
我看到
我也开始低头谦卑

我看到你的淡定
并感受到平静的慈悲
我看到
我正在走近慈悲
我看见你的敞开
并拥抱你的敞开
我看到
其实我也正在敞开

我看见你的付出
不带任何条件
我看到
其实我也学会将自己分享

我看见你的纯粹
只是
做自己想做的事
爱自己想爱的人
走自己想走的路
痛了就哭，喜了就笑
累了就歇，好了就走
我也看到了自己

如果对于看见
只是看见
并接纳所有的看见
而不要想要马上去改变
透过看见
我看见了自己
也看到
生命原本的纯粹与全然

Sometimes ‘Less is More’ So Here Goes, All You Need Is Love

Published 20/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

love

 

My Dear Friends

Relax and Calm your Mind

All You Need Is Love

……

All Our World needs Is Love

……

All Our Environment Needs Is Love

…..

All Humanity Needs Is Love

……

Love Is On My Mind

Namaste to you all with LOVE

Always

Mark

Allow your emotions and feelings to enter your life without judgement

Published 19/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

The guest house

The ‘Guest House’ A fantastic way to think about our emotions and feelings. Welcome them into your life, don’t judge them for they may be coming to you for a reason!

Mindfulness and meditation practice allows us the valuable time to connect deeply with our inner self, to spend time with ourself and to listen to what is going on with our mind, body and soul. Lets take a quick look at emotions and feelings through the use of meditation and mindfulness and as Rumi says, ‘welcome them into our guesthouse’.

As we sit or lie and start our meditation, we close our eyes and relax our body, concentrate on our breath, in and out, in and out, we can take our time to bring our awareness to our breath, focussing our attention only on our breath, the feeling of our breath as it raises our stomach, inflates our chest or the coolness of the air entering through our nose, the key is to allow the time for our mind to become calm and concentrating on the breath certainly helps us do this, it may take you some time because you may; at the beginning get caught up with thoughts flashing into your mind, you will hear sounds which break your concentration, feel an itch, cough, hear your children playing, the phone ringing etc, but please take my word for it; with practice it gets easier 🙂 So, back to our breath, in and out, in and out, feel the cool air entering your nose, in and out, in and out, feel the air inflating your chest, be aware of the gap/time in -between the top of your in-breath and before the out=breath starts, then feel the air slowly leaving your lungs, moving up through your throat and up and out of your nose, in and out, in and out. If your mind starts to wander, don’t worry, its normal, just recognise the fact that it happened and bring your focus back to the breath, in and out, in and out.

As thoughts enter your mind place a label on them ‘thought’ or thinking’, you can label them more deeply if it help you like such as ‘ work’, ‘children’, chores’ or whatever helps, but try to regain your composure and bring your awareness back to your breath, in and out, in and out.

Emotions and feelings may arise  like ‘Happiness’ or ‘Anxiety’, if they come; then accept them in, concentrate on your breath, in and out, in and out, what is ‘Happiness’ why are you feeling Happy? Concentrate on your breath and get acquainted with the emotion of’ happiness’, where did it come from and what are the feelings behind it, maybe your feeling so happy that you have given yourself some time for yourself, maybe your heart is telling you it loves you. This is your journey of discovery so enjoy the feeling. If ‘Anxiety arrives, then accept it too, why is it there, what made it arrive? Do you feel anxious because your spending valuable time on yourself? does that make you anxious? Are you anxious of not knowing the outcome? Are you anxious of time and wanting the session to end? Get acquainted with the emotion and allow it to come and to go.

Concentrate on your breath, in and out, in and out.

 

find-your-way-home-rumi

 

Also from Rumi as posted by Dr Victoria Lee

The purpose of emotion
A certain sufi tore his robe in grief,

and the tearing brought such relief….

his teacher understood the purity

of the action while others

just saw the jagged appearance.

If you want peace and purity

tear away the coverings.

This is the purpose of emoton, to let

a streaming beauty flow through you.

Call it spirit, elixir, or the original

agreement between yourself and God.

Opening into that gives peace, a song of

being empty,

pure silence.

In this poem, dear Rumi guides us once again toward deepening our spiritual experience. Stripping away the covering imposed by the false self is always the path. This means letting go of our attachment to the ideas we have about ourselves, as well as to the ideas others have about us. The most fundamental of these may be our limiting beliefs–I am incapable, the world is too harsh, I am too old, too young, too attached to obligations, too unable to feel anything transcendent, too ____; when we allow all that to dissolve, Rumi famously tells us that we will find glints of treasure in the dirt of the demolition of the house we’ve built out of false ideas about who we are. Then the streaming beauty emotion is meant to allow us can flow through us.

Then we may look in the mirror–and in every human and animal face–and know that:

Inside you are sweet beyond telling. There is a sun in everyone!

May you look in the mirror today, dear visitor, and look deeply into any human face; look into the eyes of a child. See the longing and see the beauty!

 

Mindfulness and meditation my dear friends can bring you so much awareness and help you come to terms with your emotions, feelings and pain.

Good luck on your personal journey of discovery.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

You Are Much More Beautiful Than You Think!

Published 18/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Hello friends,

Todays post is a short video that was brought to my attention during a mindfulness program I’m doing at the moment, this video was very interesting to me and it brought tears to my eyes when I watched it because we are all guilty of this, we see ourselves very differently from how others see us, always trying to change ourselves to the perfection that we have in our minds eye.

You are beautiful, so why don’t you take a moment and connect with your real self, maybe ask some friends to describe you in a few short sentences, your skin, your face, your hair, your smile, your voice, your body, your personality…Take it from me, the results will bring a smile to your face 🙂

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

 

The Devoted Buddhist, a Story of Deception

Published 16/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_2278

The Devoted Buddhist
最虔诚的信徒

One upon a time in ancient China, there were two thieves, Jia and Yi, who found themselves down on their luck. Both had been starving for days when they came across a Buddhist temple. The smell of cooked food wafted from its general direction and made them even hungrier.

Yi was the first to speak “Let’s go ask for some food.”
Jia replied. “What if they are not willing to share? We may need to resort to force.”
Yi shook his head. “That is not a good idea. These monks come from the Shaolin lineage.
They are quite capable of defending themselves. You and I would have no chance against them.”

Jia thought for a moment and said, “I have an idea. We’ll tell them we are devout Buddhists.”

Yi was doubtful. “But we are not religious at all.”
“You can say that about yourself if you want. I am going to be the most devoted Buddhist they have ever seen. “ Jia said as he knocked on the door.

“Yes?” A monk opened the door.
“May merciful Buddha bless you!” Jia exclaimed. “ I bring you humble greetings from the Shaolin temple, where I am an enthusiastic patron serving the monks, who of course belong to the same honorable lineage as yourself. O Great Master.”

“How about you, sir?” The monk turned to Yi. “Are you also of our faith?”
“Uh…No, I am not very religious.”
“Very well. Please come in, gentlemen. “ The monk pointed to the hallway and said to Yi: “Sir, the kitchen is in that direction. You will find that it is well stocked. Please help yourself to whatever food you want.”

The Monk then took Jia’s hand with a friendly smile: “Sir, you can follow me to the inner chamber. Since you are of our order, you must already know today is a fasting day. We are glad to see you come such a long way to join us in meditation.
“This way please.”

The Tao
道

This is the ultimate Tao story about deception. With a few quick strokes, it sketches the human tendency to deceive, and the consequences that follow.
Lau Tzu addresses the same subject in the Tao Te Ching chapter 65 with the following lines:-

Therefore, using cleverness to govern the state
Is being a thief of the state
Not using cleverness to govern the state
Is being a blessing of the state

We can understand the above when we recall that Lao Tzu habitually uses this king of metaphor for one’s self, and the country as a metaphor for life. Thus, governing the state simply means life management. Cleverness, in this context, refers to the ploys we use to deceive. Just like Jia in the story, we think of ourselves as being quite clever when we conjure up our various tricks.

Lao Tzu’s message is clear: In practicing deception against others, we are actually stealing from ourselves. We may think we have gained a benefit, but it is an illusion that will soon be revealed as a loss. This describes Jia’s fate in the story. He hoped to win and advantage, but ended up depriving himself of a much-needed meal when his trick backfired on him.

At a deeper level, this story addresses not just the immediate effect of deception, but also it’s eventual consequence. Jia’s ploy backfired right away, but real life may not work out this way. Sometimes it takes a while for the true consequence to unfold. We may think, for a short time, that we have gotten away with it, but the sages teach us that there is no escape from Karma. We will have to answer for our actions sooner or later.

images

I do hope you have enjoyed this Buddhist story and the metaphors used by Lao Tzu to explain the process and the consequence?

Namaste with Love my friends
Always

Mark

Reflecting on My Life In a State of Mindful Awareness

Published 15/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

pudong

Reflecting On My Life

How often do you take the time to just sit, relax, calm your mind and reflect on your life?

If you are like me; then you will take some time each day to sit, to meditate and to spend some quality time on yourself in a state of mindful awareness. Awareness of who you are, and what your life is like at that given moment in time. This level of mindful awareness is good for you because it allows you to check in with your inner self, to give yourself a body scan using your awareness to check up on your body, to see how its feeling and allow your body the time to speak to your heart. When your mind, body and soul are in synch with each other then you are; as the saying goes ‘Firing on all cylinders’, You will be feeling at your very best, and you will be able to use your intuition to its best and your awareness of yourself will be heightened.

IMG_2196

Giving your body a body scan.

The purpose of the body scan process is for you to become aware of what you are experiencing at that very moment, to step out of your daily routines and the confinement of what we call ‘Time’ to relax our minds and come into awareness of that very ‘Moment’, the ‘Now’, the ‘Present’ and for you to rest with an open mind whilst keeping in mind your awareness of what you are experiencing in each and every moment, even when difficult emotions, sensations or thoughts arise. In fact it is very important that we do welcome these feelings, thoughts and emotions and recognize them for what they are, and maybe even label them as ‘Thoughts’, ‘Noise, Warmth’ etc; and then gently bring back our awareness to our breath. With each practice session you will become more aware of your innerself, and the thoughts coming into your mind may start to lessen as you continue to calm your mind. Don’t try to label every though with a different label though; simply label it as a ‘Thought, or ‘Thinking’ and comeback to your breath and rest in the non-reactive, soft hearted and open minded mode within yourself, remembering this is quality time for you and your body, so relax and enjoy.

Here are two body scan videos which may help you go through the guided body scan mindfulness meditations

Namaste With Love
Always
Mark

Love Makes No Conditions

Published 13/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

BZlHvjZCUAAwLCB.jpg-large

Today I’m posting on Love in both English and Chinese, I do hope you like the readings fro Osho and Sadhguru

“Love makes no conditions, no ifs, no buts. Love never says, “Fulfill these requirements, then I will love you.” Love is like breathing: when it happens you are simply love. It does not matter who comes close to you, the sinner or the saint. Whosoever comes close to you starts feeling the vibe of love, is rejoiced. Love is unconditional giving – but only those are capable of giving who have.”

“愛沒有條件，沒有如果，沒有但是。愛絕不會說：‘完成這些要求，我才會愛你。’愛就像呼吸，當它發生時你就是愛本身。無論誰走近你都沒有關係，罪人或聖人都一樣。無論誰走近你都會升起愛的暖意，多麼愉悅。愛是無條件的給予——不過只有那些有能力給予的人才有愛。” ——奧修

— Osho

“If you are feeling very pleasant, suddenly you become like a flower. When somebody is in love, if you look at their faces, suddenly they look like a flower because they are feeling so pleasant within themselves. Whoever you are in love with, they may not even be aware of it – it does not matter. You are in love, that’s all that matters. It is your emotion. It is the way you are.
如果你感覺非常欣喜，你會忽然變成一朵花。當有人沉浸在愛中時，如果你看看他們的臉，他們好像一朵綻放的花朵，因為他們的內心如此歡心愉悅。無論你愛上誰，甚至對方都不知道——這都無關緊要。你在愛裡，這才是最重要的。這是你的情感。這是你之所以是你的方式。

Love is not something that you do. Love is something that you are. Either you can use someone as a support to make yourself loving, or you can simply become loving.
愛不是你要做的什麼事。愛是你是之所以是你的一部分。你要麼可以借用別人來讓自己愛，要麼你可以簡簡單單成為愛本身。

If you are trying to extract joy, love and pleasantness out of someone, this is going to be disastrous for both people. I am not saying it is better to live alone. I am saying the way you are should be determined by you. If this is so and you are here to share your love with people, if you are feeling wonderful and you want to share this with someone, then it will be very beautiful.
如果你試著從某人那裡攫取快樂、愛和幸福，這將對兩人都是災難。我不是說你最好一個人過。我是說你是怎樣的應該由你自己決定。若這你是自己決定的並且你來這兒是與人分享你的愛，若你感覺非常美妙並且你想把這一切與某人分享，那麼，這一切會是非常美麗。

— Sadhguru 薩古魯

great-love-small-things

Love is all around, and as I have said before we need to open our eyes to see it and open our hearts to feel it. Let love into your hearts my friends and your life will be filled with pure source energy and you will be able to give love and enjoy your life to the full 🙂

Namaste with Love
Always

Mark

Silence Your Mind and Connect To Your Life!

Published 12/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

silence

Silencing the mind, a very important task in order for us to gain access to our inner self, our soul. This is where the magic happens, this is where we need to be to take charge of our lives, the place where we can connect with our true self, not the self we see in the mirror, not the self we hear quietly talking to us, holding us back, causing clatter in our head, the authentic soul self, this is where we can start to love ourself, to connect with source energy, to understand what our body is trying to us regarding our health, connect to our heart and listen, truly listen to our body and where we can learn so much which will help us in our daily lives.

Mindfulness and meditation can help get is there, they can help guide us to quieten our minds and reach inward to our soul.

Below is a link to a short 5 minute video by Thich Nhat Hanh ‘What is Mindfulness’ which outlines Mindfulness for those of you who are looking to enter into a practice of mindfulness and meditation.

If I can be of any help to you on your journey of discovery, please let me know and I will do my best to help you 🙂

Namaste with Love my friends
Always

Mark

What Are We Waiting For!…It’s Time For Change!

Published 11/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_2219

It’s time we made a new majority, a majority for peace and love.

Peace on earth and love for all beings on our earth 🙏

May you all be blessed with a great weekend, filled with Peace and Love 🙂

Namaste with Love
Always

Mark

Meditation and Mindfulness, a Journey to My Soul

Published 09/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

74441_590491360978760_2103158131_n

I sit
I close my eyes
I relax
I concentrate on my breath and calm my mind

In and out
In and out
In and out
Deeper and deeper I go, ever closer to my soul

Thoughts enter my mind
Problems at work, problems at home, my past, my future
My life in thoughts, my ego at work, holding me back from the ‘Now’
Back to my breath, In and Out, In and Out

Thank you thought, I don’t need you now
Off they go disappearing forever, forgotten already and on I go
Back to my breath, in and, out, in and out,
Closer to my soul, one breath at a time

Heart beating slowly, in rhythm with my breath
Oxygen filling my body from limb to limb and cell to cell
Channeling my mind and focus on my skin
Perspiration on my brow, a cool sensation, calm and free

I see a pathway leading down, down and down it goes
I follow with joy as the adventure unfolds
My teenage years and childhood lie before me
Innocence to life, a happy place to be

I stay awhile and dream
I play amongst the trees, smell the sweetness of the flowers and watch the bees
I bathe my feet in the coolness of the stream and watch the birds fly by on wings up high
My journey nears its end

Time to return, to reality as is
My breath takes me back, In and Out, In and Out
Upwards I go with every step on the pathway from my soul
Returning again to life, my life
My meditation ends

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Listen To Your Heart and Follow Its Infinite Wisdom

Published 08/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

listens

How many of you listen to your heart?

Do you really listen to your heart or is it your Ego?

Im currently going through a series of dilemmas, dilemmas of which not only effect me, they also effect my wife, my children, to a certain extent my family, my career and my colleagues and although I cannot go into details here on my humble blog lets just say they are massive decisions I need to make. Now, for most people these decisions would be easy to make especially if they are looking for a bigger career, more challenges, more money and more notoriety but for me these are not my goals, I know if I go with the majority then my life for the next few years will be tied up in business, business which I enjoy very much but is it really what I need in my life? There in lies the biggest dilemma!

Actually I want to establish a spiritual and wellness counselling business, probably in another country far from here but its like starting life anew, taking risks not only of myself but also for my wife and my children, I have no worries about myself, I know I can do it, my calling from source is to follow this pathway but my ego is holding me back, the nagging ego making me procrastinate at every turn in the pathway toward making a decision!

My heart tells me to follow my destiny, following this intuition has always been good to me throughout my life, whenever i come to a crossroad or a problem is placed in front of me, my heart shows me the way every time, without fail and with its own unconditional love for my wellbeing.

So what’s holding me back? Is it the fact of starting all over again, is it the fear of failing my family or is it that i don’t think i can provide for my family through a spiritual practice?

I guess I need to do some deep meditations and truly listen to my heart and act upon its wisdom!

Namaste with Love my friends
Always

Mark

Beauty Is Everywhere, We Just Need To Open Our Eyes

Published 06/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

db95eefd-9e12-4646-94e8-c22793d20359

Beauty is everywhere; we just need to open our eyes!

Our newspapers, TV, radio, the internet and social media messages continually bombard us with the doom and gloom of our world, wars, financial crashes, environmental catastrophes, rioting, political unrest whilst the rich and famous earn more and gain the majority of our time via their exposure through the biased and rumor hungry and often one sided media outlets. These messages bring us down, they make us feel sad, depressed, frightened for our lives for our children’s futures or we just switch off, we switch our selves off from the realities that are going on all around us; each and every day!

However my friends, there is a beautiful world outside, we just need to open our eyes and let it in!

I myself sometimes get caught up with all the troubles going on in our world, the extremes of poverty in many countries, the pollution, the environmental catastrophes taking place at the hand of mankind, the wars raging around the world for no reason other than greed, politics or genocidal control….. I cannot block them out so I try my best to do all I can to help stop it!

But I’m one man, I cannot do it all alone, so I’ve resigned myself to do my best; little by little, each day something good that will benefit humanity, and or mother earth.

Loveistruth

Love is all-important, love for yourself is a great place to start, then when you have achieved love of yourself you will be able to give love to others, love is infectious and as John Lennon said “Love is All You Need”

As I look around me now I see and hear beauty, the blue sky, the sun shining; its rays gently warming my skin, the pigeons flying gracefully around the buildings; airing their wings, the river running by on its way towards the ocean, the branches and leaves on the willow trees swaying in the gentle breeze, the rich green of the trees in the gardens below my window and the subtle colours, white, pink, yellow and red of the flowers in the garden, my two puppy’s sleeping at my feet; their trust and love for me complete and unconditional, the sound of children playing, the old ladies chattering in the gardens as the children play. Life is wonderful if we learn to open our eyes and let it in!

Mindfulness, “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Dr. Kabat-Zinn

Have a quick look outside and see the beauty all around ☺

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

If My Heart Had Windows

Published 05/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

IMG_2178

If my heart had windows you’d see a heart full of love just for you
A tear may appear when I hold you near but that’s for the sweet things you do
If my heart had windows you’d see a heart full of love just for you
By your side I’ll stay till we’re old and gray remembering the young moments we knew
If my heart had windows you’d see a heart full of love just for you
A thief couldn’t steal the joy that I feel heaven for me has come true
If my heart had windows you’d see a heart full of love just for you
If my heart had windows you’d see you would remain forever and ‘Always’ in my heart
If my heart had windows you’d see a heart full of love just for you

If my heart had windows the view would be resplendent, fields of flowers all colours of the rainbow, rivers flowing through the mountainside and into the sea, birds flying by on wings so high, fluffy white clouds sheltering the bright sunshine on clear blue sky, a grass as green as emeralds and trees all around providing shelter to all of God’s creations.

Does your heart have windows?

Namaste with Love
Always

Mark

What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains

Published 04/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

I love this short video ‘What the internet is doing to our brains’. We all get caught up in it, our days are full of distractions, information comes at us from every angle from the moment we awake to the moment we go to sleep, TV, Radio, Newspapers, Smart Phones, tablets, Computers and of course the never ending stream of information and disturbances from the internet, emails, text messages, chats etc.

do something good

We have no time to take a time out, to calm our minds and to just ‘Sit’ ‘to do nothing’, ‘to reflect’, ‘to look inside’ and ‘enjoy our time with ourself’, ‘connecting with your soul’.

If you meditate, you know how powerful even 2 minutes of meditation can be for you, how these two minutes can calm your mind, take you to a place of total relaxation, away from the daily stresses and leave you fully in the ‘Present Moment’

Enjoy the video and take a moment from your day and be at one with yourself.

Namaste with Love

Always

Mark

Spring Is Truly In The Air, So Now Go Find Some Love

Published 01/05/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

seeking love

It’s the 1st of May, the sun is shining here in Shanghai, its 10am and already 23c so a great day is ahead of us and to cap it all off it’s National Holiday here in China so we have two extra days off work …yeah 🙂

I’m so full of love, love is in my heart, it’s in my soul and I can see it everywhere, it’s in the eyes of my two little puppy’s when they greet me in the morning, it’s in my wife’s smile and her cheeky grin when she’s making a joke:)

1960066_460774014050402_195019194_n

I can see young couples on the street hand in hand, arm in arm, their eyes and body language is full of love, walking in the park, the sweet scent of spring fills the air and the birds and insects are full of love too, its time to get together with friends, with family and enjoy our love for one another. Smiles say it all 🙂

smallmoments

Look for goodness and beauty in your day and you will find them and all your negative feelings like anger and resentment will recede. When you are immersed in all that is good and beautiful around you, you cannot feel angry or resentful . There will be no room in your heart for such feelings, for it will be filled to the brim with joy and gratitude.

13 - 1 copy 3

Try smiling from your heart. Let this happen naturally as you cultivate your own inner joy from the beauty you see all around you today. This inner smile is vibrant, sparkling and full of life and awareness. You will know that you have done it correctly when someone else smiles back at you 🙂

Go out today, take a deep breath and smile from your heart…Live the day 🙂

Namaste with Love
Always

Mark

My Spiritual Journey Part 7

Published 28/04/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

mauna kea summit

My trips to Hawaii

During a healing session for my shoulder about 2 years ago when I was still dealing with the recent passing of my dear Father and recovering from my accident and subsequent surgery, the healer said ‘You have a calling towards Hawaii, something very strong is drawing you towards those Islands, maybe you need to go there, stay a while and maybe learn the healing of Ho’oponopono’! I had no idea what Ho’oponopono was or had I ever thought of going to Hawaii mainly because it was so far away from the UK where I was brought up or for that matter from China where I now live, Hawaii in my mind was a holiday destination, a place for surfing, Hawaii 5’O and Magnum PI, TV programs I remembered from my youth ☺ Anyways after the session I felt the drawing towards Hawaii was becoming ever stronger, I immediately started to look at travel information, flights from Shanghai to Tokyo in Japan then a change of flight to Oahu then another flight to the Big Island, a lengthy journey but one in which I seemed destined to follow! We made our plan to visit the Big Island because May and I wanted to see a live volcano and experience the sunset on Mauna Kea at 14,000ft, above the clouds, to me that was my spiritual calling towards these beautiful islands.

Our trip came around quickly and May and I were soon on our way, the journey was a little torturous, three flights and around 20 or so hours and we had arrived on the Big Island, we picked up our car and drove to the villa we had booked, one which I was immediately drawn to called ‘Bali Temple’ situated on a old lava flow close to the ocean, the black volcanic beach, spinner dolphins and Kilauea, the volcano I so wanted to see.

flower

The villa was all we had imagined, built on the lava flow in amongst the coconut trees, surrounded by native flowers from the islands a gentle breeze from the ocean, sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks and a lullaby each night from the frogs and insects living around us, total relaxation which I needed so badly after so much trauma in my life. I had not experienced anything like this before, yes, I had been on many holidays to exotic places, tropical islands in the sun and very remote and peaceful locations; but somehow Hawaii was different, it felt like I was home and I felt totally at ease here. The first morning we decided to visit a local pool, which was served with a mix of fresh water and salt water, the Pacific ocean fed the pool with fresh salt water all day long through a small inlet tube and the fresh water came from underground and was heated naturally by Kilauea the volcano we had come to see, the pool was set in a beautiful natural location surrounded by coconut palms, lush grassed picnic areas, the blue ocean and teaming with small brightly coloured fish, shrimps and crabs fresh in from the sea. I spent a couple of hours relaxing my bones in the lovely warm water floating on the surface and enjoying the sun, I have perfect flotation balance so I can lie flat and float on the surface for hours on end, just meditating. All of a sudden I heard a scream, the scream awakened me from my deep meditation, the scream was also accented by the feeling of my feet touching some rope, I popped up like a cork from my lying position to realize I was being drawn out to sea by the tidal pull, I was on my way out of the pool, the ocean pulling me away. Luckily I was in time, the lady’s scream had alerted me and I was able to scramble back to the safety of the pool! Thank God because my recently fixed shoulder would not have managed to help me swim against the waves out in the open ocean. As I caught my breath the lady came up to me, she introduced herself and told me what she had just witnessed. The lady and I exchanged names and I thanked her for awakening me, in fact; saving me from certain peril!

She saw my surgical scar on my shoulder and asked me what had happened, after a brief discussion she started telling me her life story, where she was from in the USA, what had happened to her throughout her life, the traumatic relationships she had gone through and the cancer that had taken hold of her, the years of struggle she had gone through, the loss of her business, loss of property, the fights and the recovery to now living in Hawaii where she is happy and I’m glad to say cancer free ☺ She said ‘I have never told anyone my story Mark, I’m a private person who just gets on with it, makes the best of the situation and look after myself, but strangely I felt the need to tell you, to share all with you and tell you my life’s story, I don’t know why but you have something special that made me tell you’!

After about an hours conversation, I thanked her for her kindness and we went our separate ways, I got out of the pool and told my wife what had happened; the trauma in the pool and the conversation with the lady, wow! Why did she come to me, and what made her tell me her life’s story? All I remember is I listened and the words I spoke came from within, I know I did not need to think about my answers, the words just flowed like the waves of the ocean, she felt calm and totally at ease with me and our meeting; although brief was very meaningful and it happened for a reason.

May and I fell into the local lifestyle easily, we spent our days, sitting by the ocean, watching the turtles play in the surf, snorkeling in the warm tidal pools enjoying the fresh air, the blue skies, the local produce and the warm sun, perfect and total relaxation in paradise.

During our trip we visited Kilauea the live volcano, we were in awe of its magnificence, its power, the devastation that Pele The Goddess of Kilauea has caused over the years, the energy that she has and the draw that her energy has over the people that visit it. May and I went back many times, we walked over the lava flows, explored the vastness of its rugged and natural beauty, walked through the lava tubes, felt the steam rising from deep below and smelt the pungent air from the depths of Gaia, we took a helicopter flight over the volcano to see its summit, gazed down into the depths and watched the molten lava flowing from Kilauea down to the sea, the steam rising from the ocean as the molten lava enters the Pacific and is calmed by nature itself. I felt my energy increase throughout our visit, I was becoming physically stronger and mentally I was starting to recover from my recent traumas and my surgery.

forest

The Big Island has many communes, groups of ‘New Age’ families and young people living simply and enjoying life in paradise, we visited their markets, brought fresh produce and enjoyed our interactions.

One day my wife and I were driving along a long country road, miles from anywhere heading up the east coast towards Hilo, a hitchhiker was walking along the road with his hand out looking for a ride. Now, we hade been in Hawaii for about two weeks already, we had driven past many hitchhikers and I had never stopped to pick anyone up, this is just not the thing to do back in China or the UK, but for some reason I started to pull over just as we passed this young man, my wife of course asked my what I was doing, ‘why are you stopping’? I replied, ‘I have no idea, but I just know I need to give him a ride’!

The door opened and this young late twenties/early thirties man in shorts with a mass of curly hair, bare chest, bare feet and a beard said ‘ thank you sir, wow! You have an amazing aura, thank you for stopping’, he got in the car, we asked him where he needed to go and he just said ‘just drive and I will tell you when to stop and let me off’, these roads were very remote with thick rainforest type natural deep vegetation either side of the road, as we drove he asked me some questions but said that we were destined to meet, my energy was so strong and he needed to feel it, he said I had lots to do on my journey and said I was doing great work, and I should let go, feel free and enjoy the good that will come from my life and its interactions with others who need my help! A couple of miles further on he said, stop!. My wife and I questioned him because we were literally in the middle of nowhere, he got out of the car and as we drove away, we both looked back and he had gone, disappeared from view, nowhere was he to be seen! My wife and I could not believe what had just happened, we were both a little shocked by the experience, the words that came from the man were very softly spoken, he was obviously very spiritual, his aura and energy very calm and he was a lovely person. Why did I stop and pick him up? Who knows! What was the purpose and meaning behind what he said to me? Who knows! All I know is, I was meant to pick him up and I was meant to learn from him.

I’m feeling drained right now, my energies have been exhausted by the recollections of these two encounters in Hawaii…more to follow soon, I promise ☺

Namaste with Love
Always

Mark

What Does Giving Give You In Return?

Published 25/04/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

Many of you may have already seen this short Thai video but as I watched it again it still brings tears of joy to my eyes and although its a very cleaver advertising commercial it still has a very profound message, a message we can all learn from.

Giving freely gives us far more in return!

Look at the joy, the happiness, the body language and the compassion in the eyes of the young man, and the loving smiles and gestures of gratitude of recipients towards his good natured acts selflessness and kindness.

Kindness costs you nothing, often just a smile is all it takes to lift someones day, a helping hand, some simple food, a hug can bring so much joy to all concerned.

Have a fantastic weekend my friends

Hold our your hands and give from your heart.

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark

Conquering Our Fears

Published 22/04/2014 by inspiringyourspirit

1506525_702960039754243_1660016123_n

A perfect and simple image to go along with the last few posts I made on ‘Fear’.

Fear holds us back…End of Story!

And we all succumb to it one time or another in our lives!

This is not just fear of doing something hazardous or dangerous, its not the fear of violence or the fear that we may experience when confronted by a dangerous animal, its the ‘Fear of Uncertainty’, the ‘Fear of Failure’, the ‘Fear of Loosing Face’, the ‘Fear of not being good enough’, the ‘Fear of rejection’, the ‘Fear of humiliation’

If you want to move forward with your life you need to confront your fears and become their master.

Life is good my friends and it can be good to you too if you learn to conquer your fears 🙂

Namaste with Love
Always
Mark